News Item: Hire Tackle Digger and Dumper Safety

HAE held a Round Table on Digger and Dumper Safety in London on Wednesday 22nd May, focusing on the accident rates as a result of tips, particularly related to up to 1.5 tonne diggers and 1 tonne dumpers.

The association was joined by over 15 representatives from small and large hire companies, manufacturers, construction and there was also input from the HSE. Top of the agenda was how the Hire Industry could mitigate the risks associated with operating this type of equipment. Whilst there was recognition that these incidents generally occur as a result of operator error the industry maintains a strong moral and ethical responsibility about Duty of Care to its client base.

Following an open discussion on the extent of the problem it was agreed that a working  group would be established to move forward. An initial group of six people volunteered to get the first discussions underway which would concentrate on determining the true level of incident as many felt not all occasions were being reported. The group will, working with HAE, develop a reporting mechanism for members so that true data can be made available and this will be used to focus on the causes and how to prevent future incidents.

Dependant on the the data study solutions based on handover procedure, training requirements, and methods of recording competence will be proposed for take up by the industry. It was also suggested that the industry, through HAE, should create a coordinated marketing campaign for members to make their clients more aware of the risks involved in operating this type of equipment

If you would like to be more involved in this campaign or you already record data that you can initially share with HAE we would be extremely grateful to receive this. HAE guarantee full anonymity of any data received.

In the first instance please contact Graham Arundell on 07817 446305 or email  graham.arundell@hae.org.uk.